William ii



(No Model.)

W. H. ANTES. DETACHABLE CARRIER FOR BURIAL GASES.

No. 576,358. Patented Feb. @1897.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. ANTES, OF EVAN SVILLE, VISOONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO ALLEN XV. DIBBLE, OF SAM-E PLACE.

DETACHABLE CARRIER FOR BURlAL-CASES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,358, dated February 2, 1897. Application filed November 14, 1895. Serial No. 568,895. No modelfl "0 (Mi whom, it 11m concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. ANTES, of Evansville, in the county of Rock and State of YVisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Detachable Carriers for Burial-Caskets, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in detachable carriers for burial-caskets.

In carryinga burial-casket where no means are provided other than the usual side handles great difficulty is experienced in passing through doorways, narrow passage-ways, and in going downstairs. In such cases it is necessary for the pall-bearers to relinquish their hold on the side handles-and for one or more of them to grasp the ends of the casket and to assume the entire weight. The caskets are usually provided on their under side near opposite ends with recesses for the insertion of the fingers, thereby affording a finger-grasp. Even with the provision of these fin ger-grasps the difficult labor, discomfort, inconvenience, and painful strain upon the arms and fingers are still present, as is clearly obvious. I

It is the object of my invention to provide an improved construction for overcoming the difficulties above pointed out in a simple and inexpensive manner; and to this end the invention consists of the devices and parts or their equivalents, as hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary end View of a burial-casket, showing my improved detachable carrier applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an under viewof Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail of a slight modification of the invention, and Fig. 4: is a similar view of another modification.

Like numerals of reference denote like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates a burial-casket of the ordinary form, provided on its under side near opposite ends with recesses similar to 6 6. Recesses of this character, as heretofore stated, are provided upon the under side of caskets for the purpose of affording a finger-grasp.

The detachable carrier employed by me consists of horizontal arms 7 7, adapted to pass under the casket for some distance, and vertical arms 8 8, bent at right angles from the horizontal arms and adapted to extend upwardly adjacent to the end of the casket and having their upper ends preferably bent outwardly, as indicated at 9 9. These outwardly-bent ends are connected by a round handle-bar 10. The angles of the arms 7 and 8 are advisably curved outwardly, as shown at 11 11, in order to accommodate the molding 12 of the casket. v

I The horizontal arms 7 7 are provided medially with upwardly-extending lugs 13 13, which are preferably provided with rounded inner edges and beveled outer edges, meeting at a point or apex. These lugs are adapted to fit in the recesses 6 of the casket and the points or apices thereof to fit in the angles or corners of said recesses, against which points or apices the strain is exerted when the casket is being carried. The casket is also provided, upon its under side, with recesses 14 14, formed in the casket-bottom at points farther inward than the recesses 6 6. Within these recesses are driven staples 15 15, which are preferably forced in far enough to bring them flush with the surface of the under side of the casket. These staples are adapted to be engaged by the inner ends of the arms 7 7. In Figs. 1 and 2, in order to provide for the engagement of the ends of these arms wit-h the staples, said arms are shown as provided with downwardly-bent hook portions 16 16. It will be understood, however, that the ends of the arms 7 may be made to engage these staples in any convenient or desirable manner, and in Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown. two modified forms, that shown in Fig. 3 consisting in giving the arm an upward bend to form a projecting stem or tang 7, and that illus trated in Fig. 4 consisting of ahook 7",which is bent in a direction reverse to the hook shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The horizontal arms 7 7 are connected by means of transverse tierods 17 17.

In the practical use of my invention when a doorway or narrow passage-way is reached the undertaker applies the carriers at opposite ends of the casket by engaging the inner ends of the arms 7 with the staples in an obvious manner and then forcing said arms upwardly until the lugs 13 13 thereof engage the recesses 6 6. The pall-bearers then release their hold on the side handles of the casket, and a desired number of said bearers are transferred to the opposite ends and take firm hold on the handle-bars 10. It is apparent that the casket can then be carried through the narrow space in a most convenient manner with but little discomfort to the pallbearers and with but the minimum amount of labor on their part. After the casket has passed through the doorway or passage-Way the pall-bearers can again resume their positions at the sides of the casket and the carriers readily detached from the ends.

It will be understood that very little, if any, of the strain is exerted against the staples, but almost the entire strain is at the points of the engagement of the lugs 13 13 with the recesses 6 6. The staples and hooks therefore are merely provided for the purpose of forming a means for detachably connecting the inner ends of the arms 7 7, and are also useful in guarding against accidents such as might occur in case a pall-bearer should happen to slip and drop one end of the handle lower than the other. It is obvious that any other suitable device for forming such connection may be employed.

It is obvious that most of the strain is on the lugs, inasmuch as the weight of the casket forms fulcra at opposite ends thereof near the angle between the under side of the casket and the ends of the casket, and on which fulera the arms 7 turn. Now when these arms thus turn the arms 8 8 are thrown in against the ends of the casket, and as this inthrow is necessarily limited it is not sufficient to clear the lugs 13 from the recesses, and hence the points or apices of said lugs are thrown forcibly against the walls of the recesses, thus securely holding the carriers to the casket.

lVhile I have herein shown and described my improved carrier as particularly applicable to burial-caskets, I do not wish to be thereby understood as restricting myself to such application, inasmuch as it is obvious that it can be used with equal advantage in transporting or carrying heavy boxes or other receptacles of various kinds.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a casket having a recess or recesses and securing means on its under side, of a carrier consisting of a vertical portion extending parallel with the end of the casket, and forming ahandle, and a horizontal portion extending beneath the end of the casket, the latter provided with an upwardly-extending lug or lugs engaging the recess or recesses, and having a detachable swiveled end connection with the securing means, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with a casket provided upon its under side, near its end,with recesses, and also at a point or points farther inward with a staple or staples, of a carrying device, consisting of a vertical portion comprising two arms extending parallel with the ends of the casket, and formed with a handle, and a horizontal portion extending beneath the end of the casket, said horizontal portion comprising two side members having upwardlyextendinglugs adapted to engage the recesses, and also provided with a hook or hooks adapted to engage the staple or staples, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM II. ANTES.

\Vitnesses:

ANNA V. FAUST, ARTHUR L. MoRsELL. 

